Bringing the House Down: A Family Memoir: Amazon.co.uk: David Profumo: Books

Review

'[Profumo] has written an elegantly sorrowful account of his family's great shame'

(Peter McKay, Evening Standard )

'Painful to write, moving to read, this beautifully crafted account will not be the final word on the Profumo affair, but shows that, behind its continuing fascination as the arch political scandal lies a long trail of human misery'

(Independent on Sunday )

'Elegiac and evocative volume' Sunday Telegraph / Seven

(Sunday Telegraph / Seven )

'It certainly has all the excitement, neurosis and edginess of a book that needed to be written... gritty, heartfelt and honest...it is a real book, by a real writer, about real people'

(Mail on Sunday (Book of the Week review by Craig Brown, 5 out of 5 stars) )

'An intimate, perky, donnishly literate memoir... It is a rather infectious read, elegantly written, often funny, sometimes caustic'

(Times )

'Gentle, touching, wry'

(Guardian )

'Profumo's book... restores a context to a story that has so long had a life of its own. And it offers a measured and affecting insight into what it was like to be a seven-year-old in the eye of the original tabloid storm'

(Observer )

'A fascinating, gripping tale'

(Daily Express )

'David Profumo is an outstandingly witty, stylish and original writer. In this bracingly honest and frequently sparkling family memoir, he has really excelled himself. Indeed, I would not hesitate to describe Bringing the House Down as a masterpiece'

(Hugh Massingberd, Country Life )

'Brilliant, intimate radio'

(New Statesman, on Radio 4 Book of the Week )

'His family memoir is clear-eyed, beautifully written, often painful to read, and sometimes very funny indeed'

(Stephen Robinson, Daily Telegraph )

'Intensely observant and acutely perceptive ... hugely literate and sophisticated'

(Peregrine Worsthorne, Spectator )

'Searingly honest... David Profumo has written a revelatory book, and all others that purport to deal with the scandal are at a stroke rendered redundant in their narrowness. This one excels, above all, as a study of human nature in some of its most intriguing and arresting forms'

(Simon Heffer, Literary Review )

'[An] honest and compelling book ... Bringing the House Down is notably well written, vivid and easy to read.'

(Ian Gilmour, London Review of Books )

'An intimate, unsentimental account of the 20th century's greatest sex scandal'

(Sebastian Shakespeare, Tatler )

Product Description

David Profumo was just seven when his father, who had been Secretary of State for War, resigned from the Macmillan government. Despite the furore and humiliation that followed, his parents famously stayed together - and now, forty years on, their son has written this long-awaited account of their family life before, during and after the sensational events of 1963.

Drawing on diaries, letters and other memorabilia never before made public, Bringing The House Down describes their background and careers before they met. After an apprenticeship in Hollywood during her teenage years, the beautiful Valerie Hobson went on to star in numerous British films before her stage triumph in 'The King and I'; John Profumo had been the youngest MP during the Second World War, became a Brigadier at the age of thirty, and was rapidly rising through the ranks of the Conservative party. This is the story of their complicated courtship and volatile marriage, the destruction of their glamorous lifestyle and their endurance of the aftermath.

By turns intimate, caustic and poignant, their only child's personal memoir of their three lives together not only puts flesh on the bones of the old family skeleton but also offers a remarkable portrait of a love affair that somehow survived in a world turned upside down.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

Bought on a whim, glad I did! 4 Aug 2007

By Kitten

Format:Paperback

When it's raining in Aberystwyth and you're stuck in your caravan, desperate for something meaty to read, and all the other in vogue autobiographies have proven too frothy, then reach for this. It has bite, it has depth, it is incredibly well-written. This is the story of the Profumo family , and it's more than just THAT scandal. It's the story of a marriage, a family, politics, the world of showbiz, upper class mores and so much more. I bought it on a whim, and was glad I did. It has been my read of the summer.

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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

A sixties scandal revisited 4 April 2011

By Shez

This book offers a view of the Profumo affair from the family's perspective, although it also covers the life stories of both of the author's parents. In that respect it is quite interesting and enjoyable. David Profumo, however, feels the need to include french phrases to describe many situations, and the translations are not included, which becames more and more irritating as the book progresses. He does however offer (in brackets) the little known fact that many Bangladeshis live in the east end of London! It also appears that Mr. Profumo was given a thesaurus for Christmas, judging by the inclusion of so many obscure words. In short, I think that this book would have benefited from a more robust editor.

Bringing the house down 18 Feb 2011

By L. S. Valencia

David Profumos account of his parents marriage and his childhood is somewhat marred by his use of vocabulary and Latin quotations.Although it is very well written and the events of the swinging sixties scandal well covered,I couldn't help but be left with the impression that the author was more concerned with showing off his undoubtedly superior education.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

How badly can a book be written?

Given the theme of the relationship between Valerie Hobson and John Profumo and the whole Profumo crisis it is extraordinary how dull this book is. What a shame. Read more

Published on 30 Oct 2009 by Disappointed

Bringing the House Down: A Family Memoir [Paperback]

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